The Brazilian butt lift is a surgical procedure to enhance the shape and volume of the buttocks through fat transfer. The entire silhouette of the body is improved, as the body is sculpted to remove fat deposits, then transferred to the buttocks for shape and form. The ideal patient is someone who has enough excess fat in the hips, flanks, abdomen, waist and thighs that is seeking improvement with lipo-sculpting. The harvested fat is then meticulously handled and through a sterile closed system, transferred to the buttocks through very small incisions and multiple tissue planes. The majority of the fat is then vascularized within 6 weeks, thus maintaining a final form. Approximately 20-30% of the fat can degenate prior to complete vascularization, but the majority becomes living viable tissue, thus enhancing the buttocks and maintaining shape and fullness. In addition, through processes that have not been completely understood, the quality of the skin has been shown to improve as well.

Newport Beach Brazilian Butt Lift • Dr. Amy Bandy - Plastic Surgeon

Before and After

A brazilian buttlift is currently the fastest growing cosmetic procedure in the country. It offers a full body transformation by contouring the body through liposuction which is then used for fat transfer to the buttocks for additional fullness. With so many celebrities and sports stars being known and recognized by their fuller backside, it is no wonder that women are coming to Dr. Bandy to have the procedure completed. Whether a patient is looking to fill out the jeans that seem to have nothing in the rear holding them up, or a patient is looking for a voluptuous physique, a brazilian buttlift is the favorite procedure of thousands of women across the country.

Who is a an ideal brazilian buttlift patient?

The ideal brazilian buttlift patient is a person with enough fatty tissue to be harvested via liposuction and transferred to the buttocks. The best candidates for liposuction are those who are close to their ideal weight and have fatty areas that are unresponsive to exercise and diet that they would like contoured. For those patients that are moderately overweight, liposuction could be an incentive for additional weight loss through proper diet and exercise. Liposuction alone should not be a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. The best time to consider liposuction is after a patient has stabilized their weight and they are close to their ideal weight. Ideal liposuction patients have good skin tone and good skin elasticity, are clear of stretch marks, thus allowing skin to properly tighten after the removal of fat without leaving results skin looseness. Depending on what a patients expectations and requests are, a patient may choose to have a small amount of fat removed in order to give them the added volume that they request, however, many patients choose to do a full body sculpting via liposuction and have all or a portion of the removed fat transferred to their gluteal region.

Does the fat stay where it is transferred?

Because your own tissue is being transferred, your body does not reject it as a foreign object, instead, it provides a blood supply to this tissue. A portion of the transferred fat will reabsorb prior to receiving the blood supply that is being constructed for the newly transferred fat. It is hard to predict what percentage will be absorbed, however, estimates of 15%-30% are typical for an absorption rate. A patient is strongly encouraged not to compress the area and to put as little pressure as possible on the area for the first 6 weeks after the procedure in order to obtain their best results. At 6 weeks, the results that the patient sees of their newly contoured physique can be maintained with proper diet and exercise.

Will the fat grow back with weight gain?

This is a question that until answered correctly, sometimes haunts patients. Humans are born with a certain number of fat cells that will increase during puberty. Each individual cell can grow bigger or smaller with weight gain or weight loss, but additional fat cells typically only grow when a person has become morbidly obese- 100% over their ideal body weight. A patient that continues with an improper diet and no exercise can still gain weight as each fat cell that remains can still significantly expand. The fat that is accumulated with weight gain still needs to be stored somewhere, and with fat cells in areas treated with liposuction having been reduced, fat is stored in the fat cells that remain. This is why it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle after any liposuction treatment.

What is recovery like?

Patients that undergo a liposuction procedure are usually required to wear a specialty compression garment for several weeks to achieve maximum results. These garments provide firm compression and support to suctioned areas, also allowing for skin retraction to optimize final body contour. The garments used are to be worn on a continuous basis day and night, however can be removed for bathing. Dr. Bandy does provide the first surgical garments for her patients, however additional garment purchased can be purchased at an additional cost from our office. The amount of time a patient is required to wear this specialty garment is determined by Dr. Bandy and varies depending on the area(s) that are treated, how much fatty tissue is suctioned and how the patient is healing. Patients may get bruising to the treated areas of the body, however this may be minimal in some people. Bruising can last for several weeks and it is not uncommon for bruising to last for up to a month. This can be minimized with arnica and bromelain supplements started pre-operatively and continued through the healing process. Pain can be controlled by medication that is prescribed at the time of the pre-operative appointment which is usually 1-2 weeks prior to the scheduled surgical date. In addition to the recovery from the liposuction, there will be a recovery from the fat being transferred. Because the gluteus maximus is a large muscle, patients will experience some discomfort when sitting or placing any pressure on that area, as well as discomfort when using those muscles. This discomfort should subside within the first week after the procedure, however, patients will still be encouraged to reduce pressure to the gluteal region during the healing process.